When we found out we were expecting our first child, we knew we wanted to stay in our home - a 1.5 story built in 1920, but the second bedroom was on the first floor, and the master took up the entire refinished attic.

An architect friend pointed out that we could create a second bedroom upstairs with a dormer addition, so as soon as the snow subsided we had a contractor rip off part of the roof and frame out the new nursery. The project was a mix of professional work and DIY (we tackled electrical, insulation, and painting/decorating to fit our budget) to create a bright, book-filled space for our baby. We also added a wall with French doors to give the master more privacy and define a landing space for the second floor.

We started out by painting a gender-neutral bright green, adding some animal decals (by Gingiber on Etsy) and building up a lovely collection of books to base the room around. We also incorporated quite a few pops of red. We built the cover for our heating and cooling unit. It's one of the first things you see when you walk in, so we wanted it to look finished.

The wooden Jenny Lind crib was a great deal on Overstock. The print at the head of the bed is by Katie Daisy. These dressers were a Craigslist coup we re-painted. We decided to try an ombre effect on the middle drawers, using leftover paint with the samples we’d tried when choosing one for the walls. We’re using the smaller one as a changing table and tucked it into the closet to save space.

The curtains are IKEA. I think they’re festive without being too circus-y, and they’re nice and thick and came super-long. The bookshelves are painted IKEA spice racks (Pinterest inspiration actually put to use!) I had a book-themed baby shower and the shelves filled up quickly. My mom made the toy basket at a workshop in Wisconsin.

The rocker was $25 off Craigslist, and a friend generously reupholstered it with fabric we had on hand from an earlier project we’d abandoned. I was skeptical about needing a rocker, but my husband insisted and it’s definitely where we've been spending most of our time with the baby. The red campaign chest came with our house and holds breastfeeding supplies.

The Eric Carle ABC poster is Target, and the hanging quilt was made by Joe’s grandma. Nobody had told her the color scheme and theme of the nursery, but when we opened it we knew it needed to be in the spotlight!

I think the most special part of the room is that almost every element inside was crafted or gifted with love from someone in our lives. I am in awe at the talents and generosity of our friends and family, and I hope that this baby soaks up the values and lessons of all of the smart, sweet people he or she will be surrounded with.

Thanks, Brianne & Joe! Readers you can see more of Emmet's Room on BS in the Midwest.

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Lauren is a writer, DIYer, and Etsy addict living with her family in her tiny work-in-progress home in Pennsylvania. When not blogging, she can usually be found chasing around one very spirited little three-year-old and snuggling her new baby girl.